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Jordan: a small nation in an unenviable place

Prompted by a BBC News report a new thread has been created for this small country, that tries to simply survive amidst a hostile environment with a surfeit of enemies to hand and a some friends too.

IS and al-Nusra recruiters have found rich pickings for their cause here: more than 2,000 young Jordanians have left for Syria to join proscribed terrorist groups....Jordan is formally at war with IS after it burned to death one of its downed pilots in January....Western diplomats in the region fear it could be only a matter of time before IS hit back with an attack inside Jordan.

Interesting that this post shows up a weekend after I return from supporting Exercise EAGER LION for 35 days in Amman. I'll be the lead planner for it next year and already have about six months of interaction with the Jordanian Armed Forces under my belt.

it is a very unique country with a long and rich history, beautiful landscape throughout its border, and a largely welcoming people.

I read "The Prince of Our Disorder" last year and although it was focused on Lawrence's psychological makeup, it was filled with historical tidbits that frame the Sykes-Picot Agreement, Turkish and British ambitions on the region, and the backstory behind the Hashemite Kingdom very well.

Jordan Reaches the Refugee Saturation Point

A short WINEP article:

While Syrians constitute the largest segment of foreign nationals in Jordan, however, the census shows that some 3 million of its 9.5 million residents are not Jordanian. These include nearly 636,000 Egyptians, 131,000 Iraqis, 31,000 Yemenis, 23,000 Libyans, and 634,000 non-naturalized Palestinians.

Stranger than fiction? Watching and waiting

King of Jordan dismisses his 3 brothers; Faisal, Ali and Talal from Jordanian army command after evidence of them contacting Saudi leaders Mohammad bin Salman and Mohammad bin Zayed to formulate a coup against him. All 3 brothers are now under house arrest.

(Added) AlSura's short web story ends with:

The Jordanian military has maintained that the brothers and cousin were retired early as part of the military changes to the Jordanian Army and have refused to comment further on the news that they have communications with Saudi and Emirati leaders. The brothers and cousin have not been seen since the house arrest.

Stranger than fiction? Watching and waiting Part Two

The Jerusalem Post's response:

Al-Sura, an independent media platform for citizen journalists, tweeted speculation that Prince Feisal, Prince Ali and Prince Talal had been in contact with Saudi leaders to formulate a coup against Abdullah.

"There's trouble ahead"

An update within a broader regional article and what happens when the price of bread goes up? No, not rejoicing, often it is public protest:

Jordan has economic troubles of its own that more than match Russia's. A decrease in financial support from Gulf states means the authorities are facing a $700 million budget deficit, and have taken the deeply unpopular route of raising taxes on basic foodstuffs, including bread, by 50-100%.

Q&A: What are Jordan’s main policy challenges?

An IISS commentary; sub-titled:

Jordan has always been torn between regional threats and internal socio-economic pressures. Alongside its concerns over the Syria crisis and the Israel–Palestine conflict, a major challenge facing Jordan is the need to reinvigorate its domestic economy.